28 Lemon Hacks You Need To Know

Lemons are a kitchen essential, a cooking ingredient and much more. Did you know that California and Arizona grow 95% of the lemons in the U.S.? And that’s a lot of lemons since the average adult in the U.S. consumes 13 pounds of lemons per year. Of course, there are a lot of lemons to choose from — roughly 50 varieties, all harvested by hand, according to the Arizona Farm Bureau. The tangy, citrus and sour taste of lemons makes them perfect for adding to savoury and sweet dishes, and they can be found in cuisines across the globe, making them a must-have in any kitchen. Plus, you can use every part of a lemon, from the peel and zest to the pulp and juice.

From how to best juice a lemon, to cutting it in the best way so it doesn’t squirt in your face during dinner, to making lemonade taste even better, there’s a hack for just about everything when it comes to lemons. The possibilities with this fruit are endless — preserve them, roast them, use them as a garnish, enhance the most unlikely of dishes, or even use them to make your kitchen shine. And when you’re finished juicing, cooking, and cleaning with lemons, you may find time to use a lemon on your hair, too. Read on for all the zesty tips and tricks you need to know.

The idea of cooking a delicate piece of fish on the grill is so appealing. A barbecue adds a fantastic smoky element and a mouthwatering depth of flavour to seafood. But before you fire up the flames, consider this – if you put your fillet straight on the iron, it’ll possibly stick to the grill. Instead of gently lifting off a succulent fish from your barbeque and biting into a beautifully presented dish, you may have to scrape the flesh off a hot grate, with flaking fish possibly falling down into the coals. Once you do get most of it off, what remains is going to burn, smell unpleasant, and taint any food you throw on the grill afterwards.

One easy solution is to grill your fish on lemon slices (via Lifehacker). Start by slicing your lemons and placing them on the bars of your grill before laying your fish directly on top. This provides a steady base, and since lemon and fish go so well together, it boosts the flavour of the seafood, too. If you have a large piece of fish then make sure to use a lot of slices that are arranged relatively close together, to ensure the flesh cooks evenly. If you’re grilling small portions, a couple of lemon slices should suffice. Bonus: You can use this method for cooking in the oven, too.

Lemon juice is something of a kitchen ingredient staple when you think about it. It’s used in so many recipes and features in savoury and sweet dishes. You’ll need lemon juice if you want to cook up some grilled shrimp as an appetizer. It’s also part of the recipe for making meaty dishes such as lemon chicken, and of course, delicious citrus desserts like lemon meringue pie. However, fresh lemons only last so long, even in the fridge. The same goes for freshly squeezed lemon juice, too. Why not make some frozen lemon bites to add more juice to recipes?

As posted by a crafty TikTok user, start by peeling some lemons and throwing them into a blender. Blend them until the fruity pulp is smooth. Fill an ice cube tray with the pureed fruit and freeze. Once your lemon bites are frozen, take them out of the tray and store the batch in a sealable bag in the freezer. Use the cubes to add to smoothies and when baking or cooking. Use them when making drinks, too. By including the pulp, you’re adding fibre into recipes and extra nutrition beyond what you get from just lemon juice.

Cooking with fish can be a lot of fun because there are so many amazing dishes to make. You could serve a sophisticated sea bass with garlic, lemon, and butter sauce or a baked mahi mahi with lemon seasoning. Whatever seafood delight you decide on, two factors are clear. The first is that lemon complements fish perfectly. And second, when you’re cooking with fish, it definitely leaves an odour on your hands and prep boards which can smell quite unpleasant as it lingers.

A great trick is to not just use your lemon for your recipe — use it to cancel fishy odours as well. According to Tastessence, fishy smells are caused by compounds called amines being released from fish into the air. The acidity of lemons reacts with the alkalinity of these compounds, creating ammonium salts which do not permeate and cause a stink. That covers the science part, so now you need to know what to actually do. Remove odours by literally rubbing your fingers with a lemon wedge along with some salt. If you’ve been eating fish and using your hands, then wash your hands with lemon juice. You can also use lemon peels to rub knives with if you’ve been cutting a fish fillet, and worktops can be cleaned with lemon juice and water spray.

Lemonade is undoubtedly a summer thirst quencher, although you can enjoy it any time of year. In general, you make this classic drink with lemon juice, water and sugar, while recipes may vary slightly. You can also try a really great trick to up the flavour of your lemonade by roasting your lemons first.

Halve your lemons and lay them on a baking tray cut side down. Roast in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes at 400 F.  Once they’re done, let the lemons cool down before you juice them. Then proceed to follow whatever lemonade recipe you like. According to Lifehacker, roasting lemons gives your lemonade a subtly smokey and far more complex and rich taste. But keep in mind that roasting lemons caramelizes them, which also enhances the sweetness. This means that you won’t necessarily have to add as much sugar as you would if you were using lemons that hadn’t been in the oven.

The kitchen is arguably the epicentre of the home. It’s where family meals are cooked, superb dinner party fare is created, and plenty of snacks are quickly consumed — not to mention a comfortable room where you can hang out around the table. Of course, that means it doesn’t take long before it gets dirty. But before you reach for store-bought products, you may want to grab a lemon and some salt instead. They’re not only essential in many recipes, they’re also a dream team that works wonders in the kitchen.

Wear and tear and stains on chopping boards are inevitable. Even if you consistently wipe them down, some of those marks will remain and build up over time. The U.K.’s Daily Express suggests putting coarse salt over your chopping board, and then thoroughly scrubbing the surface with a lemon half. You should see the board looking a lot less stained as the marks fade — and that’ll all happen as if by magic within a few minutes. You can also revitalize your trash bin using lemons, and get rid of nasty odours emanating from it, too. Once you’ve used your lemons to clean the rest of your kitchen, add them to your bin with warm water and a good amount of salt. Leave for 30 minutes and tip out the lemon and salt water. Give the bin a scrub using any salt residue, rinse, and leave to dry.

Lemon zest promises a fantastic, citrusy burst of flavour whether used as a topping, in a beverage, or as an ingredient in a recipe. If you’re a kitchen king or queen and have every gadget and utensil there is, then you’ll probably have a zester or microplane that’s made especially for this, and good for you. However, if you don’t have one that doesn’t mean that you have to miss out on adding some lemon zest to your next dish. All you need is a simple hack. And two kitchen gurus offer great zesting tips.

Follow some advice from The Pioneer Woman, who suggests using a vegetable peeler to remove the lemon skin in strips, and then mincing up the pieces so that it’s really small, like zest. Martha Stewart also suggests scraping at the lemon rind with a serrated knife. It’s this abrasive action that releases those zesty oils which can be lost if the rind is chopped up on a board instead. You can also use a box grater if you have one that has really small holes in it.

Lemons can be used to not only make a refreshing dessert, but also the dish that it’s served in. How cool is that? If you make homemade lemon sorbet and use the lemons as cups, complete with a lemon top lid, then very cool indeed. This wonderful idea, shared on TikTok, is so deliciously easy that it’s definitely a double-hack in one — part of the tip includes a simple recipe for lemon sorbet – and saves on the dishwashing afterwards as well.

Prepare your cups by cutting off both ends of your lemons and scooping out the insides. Take the sliced-off end of the bottom of your lemon, and place it inside the hollowed-out fruit. This covers up the hole at the bottom, while also allowing your lemon to stand upright without wobbling over. Put the lids back on top of the lemons and put them in the freezer. In a blender, add the lemon flesh you scooped out, along with some frozen coconut cream, lemon juice, and maple syrup. Blitz until smooth, spoon the mixture it into your lemon cups, and freeze. Serve straight from the freezer, taking off the cute lemon top and digging in with a spoon.

You can squeeze lemon over so many dishes. But one place you don’t want to squirt your lemon is in your eye, and certainly not in someone else’s. Yet, it’s so easy to do. You grab your lemon wedge between your thumb and finger, and as you press them together an almighty lemon spurt leaps up and goes nowhere near your plate. Thankfully, there is a neat little tip to stop a lemon wedge from splitting and spitting as you squeeze, as shared on Instagram.

Cut your lemon into wedges as you would ordinarily. Now, all you need to do is make one extra cut. In the middle of each wedge, there’s a more rigid edge, and some pith attached to this. It’s this part that’s the problem; when you squeeze the wedge, it breaks and sprays lemon in all directions. With one cut side of the wedge against your chopping board, slice off this pithy central part and discard it. This doesn’t need to be a thick slice, just enough to remove the edge and white part. You can now squeeze your lemon wedges without any fear of temporarily blinding your dining companion.

When it comes to pizza toppings and garnishes there really are no rules and you can be as creative as you like. Whether you add chilli flakes, chilli oil, herbs, or parmesan on top, one ingredient you probably haven’t been thinking of adding is some lemon. However, according to a former pizza chef, the citrus fruit works really well with everyone’s favourite Italian treat (via Tasting Table).

There’s only one way to find out, and that’s to try it yourself. And you don’t have to cook a pizza at home from scratch, this hack will upgrade your takeout or frozen pizza as well. Either drizzle on some fresh lemon juice or sprinkle some zest over the top, making sure it’s not too much. The citrus fruit adds some freshness and gives the taste some zing, elevating the pizza experience. You could also try adding oil that’s been infused with lemon or add arugula on top that’s been dressed with lemon and olive oil. Another suggestion to try if you love seafood is a white clam pizza served with lemon wedges.

If you love avocados, you know all too well that while eating them is super easy, in that you just open them and enjoy them, storing them is more of a challenge. You always want to make sure that your fruit is ripe enough to eat, but not overripe or it’ll be mushy. And if it’s not ripened enough it’ll be rock hard. Whether you’re eating your avocado as is, or making avocado toast for breakfast in the mornings, you may not use the whole fruit. The problem is that once it’s cut, the avocado starts to brown fast. Help stave this off and make the most of your avocados with a tip from Well + Good.

All you need to do is squirt lemon juice over the exposed surface of the avocado, and cover the fruit with plastic wrap. The acidity of the lemon slows down oxidation, which is what causes the browning. The plastic wrap also helps with this by cutting off exposure to oxygen. This tip means you can eat an avocado over a few days rather than having to use a whole one up or throw some away.

While everyone knows there’s no cure for a common cold, there are definitely ways you can alleviate your symptoms. And lemons can work wonders in making you feel better. They’re rich in vitamin C, antibacterial, high in potassium, and full of antioxidants. All these factors mean that the fruit is a great immunity booster (via Livestrong).

And if you’ve got the sniffles, you can use leftover lemons to create natural remedies (via Livestrong). To treat a sore throat, boil a sliced lemon in a cup of water for 8 minutes, before cooling and taking out any pulpy bits. Stir in a couple of tablespoons of glycerin and then wait 10 minutes before adding a tablespoon of honey. Sip as required to relieve the pain. Meanwhile, you can also mix lemon juice and honey to soothe a tickly throat if you have a cough. To reduce congestion and calm down inflammation in the sinuses, make tea with a cut-up lemon and half an onion that’s been boiled in a pint of water. You can add some honey if the tea is too bitter. And lemon mixed with honey, tea, and whiskey makes a relaxing hot drink that is perfect for helping you get to sleep when you’re feeling under the weather.

Outside of adding to tangy recipes and citrusy dishes, there’s no end to what you can do with a lemon. It’s a fantastic ingredient to cook with in the kitchen — and make some beauty products. too. Good Housekeeping offers up some simple ideas.

Once you’ve washed your hair, try rinsing it with lemon water to leave it fresh and shiny. Mix together one part lemon juice and four parts water to make the rinse. Apply to wet hair that’s been rinsed after shampooing, and then use cool water to rinse the lemon juice solution off. You can also give locks a lighter look with lemon, so your hair appears sun-kissed as if you’ve been outside in the sunshine all summer long. Dilute lemon juice and add to your hair, letting it soak in. If it’s sunny out, then let the rinse dry naturally. And while you’re at it, try out natural hair spray. Finely chop up half a lemon and half an orange and add to a couple of cups of water. Heat and simmer until the water’s reduced by half. You don’t want any fruit bits, so strain and use the infused liquid as is or dilute it with water if your hair feels a bit too stiff.

While you may be able to get hold of lemons all year round, you may want to take advantage of bulk buying or getting a lot in when the price is low. The problem is that not unsurprisingly because they’re a fresh fruit, lemons don’t actually last that long, even when you store them in the fridge. The same goes for lemon juice, which really only stays fresh for a couple of days in the chiller. This can be a pain if you use the juice in a lot of recipes and want it on hand. Did you know you can extend the life of your lemon juice dramatically by adding one simple ingredient?

To keep lemon juice in your refrigerator for several months potentially, simply add a ¼ teaspoon of salt to every 2 cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice you want to store. Of course, you’ll have to adjust the salt if you have less or more juice so that it doesn’t taste bitter. Keep your salted lemon juice in a glass bowl, and dip your spoon into it any time you want to. You can also keep juice in a glass jar in the fridge too, after it’s been filtered. It’ll keep for a few weeks this way (via ABP Live).

Hacks that find ways to promote sustainability are some of the best because they make you feel as if you’ve found a shortcut with a purpose. If they’re simple enough then you’re more likely to use them, and if they work really well then you’re more likely to remember them, too. This lemon cleaning hack posted on TikTok is a no-brainer and is the perfect way to put a leftover lemon to good use. If you’ve tried plenty of other tips using your lemon, whether it’s adding it to a recipe, or juicing it in the best way, then you’re going to be left with lemon rind and some dried-out pulp inside. That’s exactly what you need.

Put your cut lemon that’s ready to be slung out in the garbage onto the rack of your dishwasher. Add your dirty plates and cutlery as usual and clean as you normally would. The acid in the lemon helps get rid of limescale, which is great for your dishwasher and also deodorizes it as well. As if that isn’t enough, your dishes will come out extra sparkling, too. What better way to finish your lemons and wash up after making a lemon-inspired dish and some fresh lemonade?